Food for Simon & Food Safety

Food for Simon programme provides 360,000 meals a year

It delivers over 2,200 food parcels as part of our Outreach service

Food safety is paramount for our programme

Food for Simon was established in 2009 to create a reliable supply of essential food items to Dublin Simon Community’s services, and to reduce the costs of purchasing food. Over the last 12 years, Food For Simon has improved access to food for people who avail of our services – from people sleeping rough to individuals and families living in longer term accommodation – as well as generating millions of euro in cost-savings for the organisation.

Partnership commitment varies from single deliveries to long-standing support with a significant impact. Our suppliers include long-term, valued partnerships such as Valeo Foods, BWG, Donnelly, Nestlé and Lidl, as well as much appreciated occasional donations from numerous retailers and food producers.

Food Safety Day is a reminder for producers, suppliers, retailers and the public alike of the critical importance of food safety standards in our work. At Dublin Simon Community, we uphold the highest standards in terms of product traceability, and all donations we receive must adhere to required standards. Chefs and cooks responsible for the preparation of food are also trained to ensure compliance.

What traceability is required if a charity receives food from a food business to cook and/or serve on the premises?

Traceability in a charity serving and supplying food requires a ‘one-step back’ system where the charity must know who supplied it with each batch of food. This is to track and trace the food in case there was a safety issue with the donated food.

The charity should receive and record the following traceability information from the food business who is donating the food:

• Name and address of the supplier
• Accurate description of the product
• Date of delivery

In addition to the general rules for traceability above, more specific information is required for food of animal origin, e.g. meat, fish, eggs. Food of animal origin include unprocessed, e.g. raw meat and processed food products, e.g. salami, but it excludes food containing both products of plant origin and processed foods of animal origin, e.g. pepperoni pizza or ham and spinach quiche.

In order to protect our clients and service users, donors or suppliers must confirm they are HACCP compliant. The word HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) refers to the procedures you put in place to ensure the food you produce as a donation is safe.

To find out more about how you can support Food for Simon, call 01-671 55 51 or email us at FoodForSimonTeam@dubsimon.ie